Winter Beers — MacTarnahan’s vs. Anchor

MacTarnahan’s Brewing Co.
Winter Humbug’r
ABV 5.3%

Color: Black coffee with burnt orange edges.
Aroma: Coffee, clean roasted malts, smoke.
Flavor: Burnt coffee, subtle sweetness, thin body.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Sweet coffee, touch of dark chocolate.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Good

2009 Anchor Brewing Co.
Our Special Ale
ABV 5.5%

Color: Dark brown with hints of orange/red.
Aroma: Black pepper, cloves, pine.
Flavor: Pine with lemony acidity, subtle roasted malts.
Hops vs. Malts (Hoppy, Malty or Balanced): Malty
Finish: Lemon peel.
Overall (Fantastic, Good, Mediocre or Bad): Mediocre

Winner by unanimous decision: MacTarnahan’s. This was a battle of simple and well-made (MacTarnahan’s) vs. overly ambitious (Anchor). We love experimentation and creativity which is why we always look forward to the "Our Special Ale" every year. However, in this head to head battle, simple proved to be tastier. The Humbug‘r was a solid porter (the style they claim on the bottle). No glam, no glitz, just good beer. The Anchor, on the other hand, was just a bit... different. The aromas were amazing but the flavors didn't follow suit. On a side note, we were very happy to see that both of these were somewhat sessionable. A couple Humbug’rs on a cold night is a good thing.